At Monday's County Council meeting, Council Member Larry McElynn, Chair of the Community Services Committee, presented representatives from the First Responders Project and Beaufort County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department with a proclamation declaring September as Recovery Month.

The focus of National Recovery Month is to combat stigma and resolve misconceptions associated with addiction and to celebrate their journey with the theme Join the Voices for Recovery: Celebrating Connections. Recovery Month spreads the message that prevention and treatment are effective, and people can and do recover every day.

The impact of substance use disorders and opiate overdoses is apparent locally with an estimated 20,000 people in Beaufort County affected by a substance use disorder and over 100,000 United States Citizens lost their life to an overdose to an opiate overdose alone last year. Through National Recovery Month, people become more aware and able to recognize the signs of substance use disorders, as people in need of treatment and recovery services are encouraged to seek help or are provided outreach by the Beaufort County First Responder Team.

If you or someone you know has a substance abuse problem, call Beaufort County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department in Beaufort at 843-255-6000 and in Bluffton at 843-255-6020 or visit their website.